The use of natural fibers for making composite material reinforcements is known from prior art. Such fibers, particularly bamboo fibers, are used in the form of chips in laminated panels. The document US 2007 0116 940 describes such a laminated panel comprising strands taken from canes using a cutting process. Such an application does not call for great precision or great reproducibility in the dimensions of said strands, or in the direction of said strands in relation to the bamboo fibers.
The document US 2009/308528 describes the making of an article by stratifying thick bamboo strips, with a section of approximately 160 mm2 and a length of approximately 250 mm. Said strips are sufficiently thick and rigid to be made using sawing techniques without leading to any significant deformation of the strips during the cutting operation. These strips are far too rigid to be suitable for making a reinforcing fabric for a composite material.
The document WO 2008/066386 describes a method for making a mat made of bamboo, which is obtained by assembling strips that are sufficiently thick and rigid to undergo a thickness calibration operation by means of machining after they are extracted from the cane. Thus, said strips according to the prior art are strictly thicker than 1 mm and preferably between 1 mm and 2.5 mm thick, with width approximately 15 mm.
Thus, these documents of the prior art describe the making of articles from bamboo fibers, where the mechanical characteristics are those of said fibers, which may be assembled if required. This invention is aimed at making a bamboo fiber reinforcement that is capable of being incorporated in the form of a fibrous reinforcement in a matrix in order to make up a composite material, that is to say a material with characteristics that are the result of synergy between the reinforcement and the matrix, for both its implementation and its technical characteristics
The use of natural fibers for making a reinforcement intended for making up a high-performance composite material necessitates both sufficiently long fibers to make continuous reinforcements and consistency in dimensions as well as in terms of mechanical properties, to predict the response of the composite to the loads to which it is subjected depending on the reinforcement ratio and directions.
Fiber removal technologies using the explosion or crushing of ligneous products mix and damage the fibers of said products, and thus produce fibers with variable properties, which may have surface defects that can deteriorate their mechanical characteristics.